STRENGTHENING THE UNITED NATIONS

III.

How the Endless Circle of Structures, Policies, & Effects Works

A government consists of authorities with powers over a people. Its structure is the habitual conduct of the authorities, including their habitual relations with their people.

The more habitual and predictable its behavior, the more structured a government (or any other institution) can be called.

A constitution or charter is a set of wishes and schemes concerning what conduct will remain or become habitual. The reform of the structure of the United Nations or of any organization amounts to a pledge to carry on or modify habitual policies and conduct, or to institute new persistent modes of conduct.

Therefore, the reform of the structure of the United Nations means setting up modified and more desirable habits. Presumably these better habits will give birth to better policies. Otherwise, the reform will have been in vain, or worse. The reform will have to be pursued with an eye toward better policies.

But what are policies? Policies are directives of conduct. They, too, are habits. They are the habits of conduct set up by the structural habits. Hopefully, they will be good habits, and this they will much more likely be if they are created by good structures.

How is it to be known whether the policies are good? Policies are to be deemed good if the effects they produce, whether one-time or habitual effects, are good.

Now, by "good" must be meant the effects of the habits of people whom we believe good. Here these persons are beneficent, benevolent, liberal, informed activists. Then all of the proposals for policies and structures found here should be typical of such people. The objective of this memorandum, indeed, is to inform and urge precisely this grouping around the world to proceed as recommended, with stern determination and habit.

Therefore, a policy is bad, and the structure that creates it is bad, if the effects it produces are bad. Now, it is clear that unless the good effects or the desired effects are known and anticipated, both policies and structures will be operating blindly. Such would be the case, and may be the case, with the United Nations or any other human organization.